The world's twenty wealthiest individuals saw a collective $90 billion increase in their fortunes on Wednesday, 5 February 2026. The surge followed a broad-based stock market rally triggered by news of a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.
Investor sentiment was buoyed by hopes that the deal, brokered by US President Donald Trump, would lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The key global shipping channel for oil and gas had been virtually closed for approximately five weeks, disrupting energy flows and fuelling inflation fears.
Top Gainers in the Relief Rally
The top ten people on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index collectively gained $52 billion. Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg led the gains, with his wealth increasing by almost $13 billion in a single day as Meta's stock jumped 6.5%.
He was followed by LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, who added nearly $10 billion. Alphabet Inc. co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin saw their respective net worths rise by roughly $9 billion and $8 billion.
Broad-Based Wealth Increases
Other significant gainers included Amancio Ortega, founder of Zara-owner Inditex, whose fortune rose by about $7 billion, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who added close to $7 billion. Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell gained $5 billion, while the three living children of Walmart founder Sam Walton—Rob, Jim, and Alice Walton—each saw gains of approximately $4 billion.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was a notable exception, being the only individual in the index's top 50 to register a decline. His fortune dipped by around $2 billion to $623 billion as Tesla's stock fell 1%.
Annual Performance and Shifting Fortunes
Despite the day's gains, many of the world's richest remain down for the year due to ongoing AI-related market jitters and geopolitical concerns. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is down about $56 billion in 2026, while Arnault's fortune has shrunk by $43 billion. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has seen a $35 billion decline.
The year's biggest gainers thus far are not the usual tech titans but David Sun and John Tu, the co-founders of memory maker Kingston Technology. Each has grown an estimated $22 billion richer in 2026, driven by strong demand from AI companies for their products.
Other major annual gainers include Ubiquiti founder Robert Pera (up ~$20bn), telecoms mogul Carlos Slim (up ~$18bn), financier Jeff Yass (up ~$18bn), and Michael Dell (up ~$17bn). The Walton siblings have each gained around $14 billion this year.